The Leftovers: New York Fashion Week FW10

I came away from the end of New York Fashion Week feeling many things. Giddy that I was able to watch so many shows live from the comfort of my leggings and tees. Unsurprised by the continued exploration of the 1990s. Disturbed by the return of velvet. And a bit overwhelmed by the amount of fur.

The fur was everywhere. Covering entire sleeves of blazers. On booties and stilettos. Sprouting from purses. On collars and hems. At times the models seemed to be surrounded. Engulfed. Drowning in it.

Personally I don't wear fur. I eat meat, wear leather, and sometimes carry around a gray snakeskin clutch that was given to me as a Christmas gift by the people I worked with during my internship, therefore I don't like to spend my time sitting on some metaphorical high ground and judging those who do choose to wear it. That would be silly and hypocritical of me. My confusion about its use originated elsewhere.

Fur is one of those items that has never descended from its luxury perch. Hard to imitate convincingly and prohibitively expensive, only the rarefied few, or those willing to throw themselves into debt, could afford such things. And after a few seasons of pulling back, practicing restraint, focusing on the marketable and the sellable, it looks as if the industry tired of such shackles. Fur was how they let themselves go a bit. To definitely separate what they do from the fast fashion that they sometimes embrace. To reassert the luxury of it all.

I'm not surprised. Muting yourself never lasts all that long. But maybe The New Luxe is a bit premature. I walked down Newbury Street yesterday only to see more storefronts shuttered. Brands still find themselves on the verge of closing. But I might be wrong. It's possible that if one chants Everything's getting better enough times and tries to return to the time of decadence then the money and the jobs and the carefree attitude will follow.

It's likely that I'm being a pessimist and not a realist.

But enough of that. On to the clothes.

There were some instances where I appreciated the fur accents. Complimenting instead of overwhelming the clothes and accessories they trimmed and the girls that wore them.

At Oscar de la Renta

At J. Mendel

At Thakoon

At Peter Som

Outside of fur, fur and more fur, there was a continuation of many of the trends seen in the spring collections. Neutrals, sheer accents and shots of prints didn't disappear from the landscape but joining them were the other big trends of the season.

As I mentioned in my second Favorite of the Day for this season, the early 90s are firmly here. It's unsurprising considering that that last decade of the previous century started over 20 years ago.

You could see it everywhere.

From the varying schoolgirls...

At DKNY

At Peter Jensen

At Rachel Comey

At Rag & Bone

At Marc by Marc Jacobs

To the plaids of grunge...

At Jill Stuart

To the cut out...

At Preen

To the chunky heels...

At Proenza Schouler

To the fanny pack...

At Tibi

To the occasional pair of biker shorts.

At William Rast

The military trend, which first made an appearance in the Pre-Fall 2010 collections, continued to gather strength whether directly referenced or, in most cases, merely suggested in the tailoring and styling.

At Ports 1961

At Nanette Lepore

At L'Wren Scott

At Michael Kors

At Rag & Bone

But through the curtains of these major trends, a new decade was peeking through.

At ADAM

At Peter Som

Make way for the 1970s.


Photos via